Wire-terminal.



G. C. KNAUFP.

WIRE TERMINAL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21, 1913.

1,1 14,366. Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

\ I -nvv" war G. G. KNAUPF.

WIRE TERMINAL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21, 1913. 1,1 14,366. Patented Oct. 20-, 1,9 14:

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WIRE-TERMINAL.

Specifloation of Letters Patent.- .Appl'ication filed February 21, 1813,; Se al N0. 743,793,;

Patent ao t. 20, 1914.

To all wlltcmit may concern:

' -Be itlknown that I, GEORGE: C. KNAUrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use.- ful Improvements in Wire-Terminals; and

' Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in. the art to which it appertains to makeand' use the same. j I

, My invention relates to wire terminals or binding posts for fasteningthe ends of wires to the conducting parts of electric appliances, and more particularly to the contact portions of such devices as rheostats or the connectors andsocketszused on automo- 'bile lighting circuits.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a simple, easily tightened and inexpensive arrangement whereby the end of the wire may be firmly secured to or detached from, the terminal or contact member Without affecting the connection between the said terminal/or member and its support; also whereby the members affecting the said fastening will frictionally interlock to prevent the fastening from working loose incase the appliances carrying the same is subjected to jarring.

A further object is to provide a wirewedging terminal in whichv the locking member may be manipulated from thesame direction in which the wire is attached to the said terminal.

The wire fastening appliance of my in- I vention is particularly adapted for use on rheostats and on manually operable connectors as used on the light circuits ofv automo biles and is shown in embodiments suited to this purpose in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure .-1 is a longitudinal section'of the two separable members of. a connector having each member fitted withthe wire fastening apliance of my invention. Fig.

2 is a transverse section through Fig. -1 -,,.a1ong the line 2+2. Fig. -3- isa perspective view the. contractingmember of the right hand portion of Fig. with theothentWo portions of the wire fastening appliances ;of. this member detached therefrom, isa section thgqpgh a portion of a rheostat, showing-alconstant bllt ton fitted with the device. of my nven ion. Bis-1.7 heree c n etenm mbeaa ,nate ofthe right'hand-"pprtion of Fig. -1. -Fig. -6- 1s a longitudinal secti'onthrough the device of-,,Fig, g verse plane 6-6..- Figs. -7,-9 and l0- show alternative embodiments of my :1nvent1on., are sections throu h Figs. 7.' -,I and i-10 respective? and1 2. H

In its preferred embodiment the device .5--, along the, transeesl thalliee B,

' with an embodiment of my invention alter- Qofmy invention consists. of three portions,

:namely a body or socket member which ma also serve as a contact member of theapplifance upon which my invention is used, an

intermediary member adapted to receive one end of the wire, and a locking member ro- Qtatably mounted upon the first named member and adapted to move the intermediary member toward the first-named member.

In the embodiment of Fig. --l, the male and female contacting portions 1 and 2 of i the connectoreach have ta ered socket portlOIlS at their other fart er ends, ,each of these lnterlorly tapered portions 3 having a transverse slot 4 dividin .the said tapered ends into two portions a apted to be flexed outwardly upon the application of an outjwardly directed pressure to the interior of the socket. Each wire 5 has its b'ar'ed-end 6 poked through a perforation 7 in a flat metal the socket 3 and having lugs or ears 9 pi -i jecting into the'slots 4 of the said socket or body member. I =nally tapered portion 3 of this body mem- ;ber is threaded to matchthe inner threads i upon a sleeve 10, which sleeve preferably- 3 has a hexagonal exterior by' which the same may readily be grasped for rotating it with reference to the body or socket member, and one end of which sleeve is adapted to impinge against the projections .9 on the intermediary member 8 so as to move this inter-' mediary-member with reference to thebod member whenthe sleeve 10 is rotated with The bifurcated and interreference to the latter. Consequently, when themembers are assembled as shown in Fig.

:bent into a loop, the said looped end being proper direction, the looped end 6- 0f the wire will be drawn into the tapered bore of the socket member, so that longitudinally separated portions ofthe wire will be wedged between the sides of the e e-member 8 and the inner walls of the sai socket or body member. In being thuswedged, the

wire will coact with the e e receiving the same to force the bifurcate portions of the socket member outwardly thereby flexing them with increasing pressure against the threaded interior ofthe sleeve 10. By continuing the rotation of the sleeve, or supplemental member 10 upon the main or body member until this flexing of the forked portion of the socket, member against the sleeve makes it difficult to rotate the latter, the sleeve will be frictionally interlocked with the socket so that it will not be loosened by any jarring to whichthe appliance may be subjected in ordinary practice and consequently the wire will remain firmly-fastened until the sleeve 10 is rotated in the opposite direction by nieans of a suitable tool.

In Fig. -l the contacting body members 1 and 2 are shown as fastened to the insulating casings 11 by means of locklng rings 12, there being projecting flanges 13.

and 14 upon the said body members and casings respectively, adapted to coact wi h the said locking rmgs 12 for securing the body members to the casings. Instead of applying the locking ring 12 to the same side of the insulation piece with the contacting part of the device the locking ring may be adjacent to the socket portion thereof, as in the case of the ring 15 in Fig.

.-4.', which secures the contact member 16 to the insulating face 17 of a rheostat.

While I preferably form the socket or b'o'dyportion of my terminal directly upon the con'tact member of the device to which my invention is applied, the contacting portionmay be formed of a separate member threadedly connected to the body member of my terminal, as shown in Figs. 5 and Instead of having the slots 4 extend entirely through the lateral walls of the socket upon the body member, they may enter the same only part way, as in Figs.

4K 7 and -8, in which case the wire-receiving member 8 may be formed without the lateral projections or lugs, the sleeve 10 having at its outer end an inwardly directed flange 18 adapted to engage the outer end of the said wire-receiving member.

While I preferably mount the wire-receiving member nonrotatably upon the body member, I do not wish to be limited tothisarrangement, as the looped end 6 of the wire will itself tend to keep the intermediary member from-rotating, so that'the terminal of, my invention may be arranged without any slotting of the body member, as shown in Figs. -9 and -11. Likewise, I do not WlSll to be limited to an eye-form of the intermediary member as other forms may be devised for interengaging the wire with the member interposed between the body ofthe terminal and the sleeve rotatably mounted thereon; for example, the wire-hooking member may be made in the form of a loop, as shown in Figs. 10 and --12. So also, the body member of the terminal may be formed with only a slight endward recess, as in Fig. -10, without having a 'bore into which any considerable portion of the wire is adapted to be drawn.

I claim as my invention:

1. A contact terminal for electric wires comprising a contact member havingv a threaded shank, a rotatable sleeve threadedly mounted thereon and an intermediary member interposed between the said contact member and the said sleeve and abuttlng against a portion of the latter, the said intermediary member having a perforation adapted to receive the end of a wire; the threaded connection between the sleeve and the contact member causing the sleeve to move longitudinally of the contact member when rotated with respect thereto, the wirerecelving portion of the intermediary member so shaped with respect to an adjacent portion of the contact member as to decrease the distance therebetween upon relative longitudinal motion thereon in one direction, thereby clamping the said end of the wire therebetween; the said abutting of the intermediary member against a portion of the sleeve causing the latter when longitudinally moved to move the intermediary member to effect the said clamping.

2. A wire terminal comprising a socket member having a threaded end equipped with a longitudinal slot, a sleeve member threadedly mounted upon the. said slotted end of the socket member, and an intermediary member interposed between the socket and sleeve members and abutting against a portion of the latter, the intermediary member having an eye adapted to receive an end of a wire and having a portion slidably engaging the slotted portion of the socket member; the wire-receiving portion of the lntermediary member and a portion of the socket member adjacent thereto being relatively so shaped and disposed as to decrease the distance therebetween when the intermediary member is slidably moved with respect to the contact member in one direction, thereby clamping the said end of the wire therebetween; the threaded mounting of the sleeve member upon the socket member causmg the former upon relative rotation of the sald members to move longitudinally with respect to the latter, the abutting of the intermediary member against the sleeve mem ber causing the latter upon such longitudinal motion with respect to the socket member to move the intermediary member to effect the said clamping of the wire.

3. A wire terminal comprising a .socket member having a threaded end equipped with a longitudinal slot, a sleeve threadedly v 1,114,see

socket member, and an intermediary inember interposed between the socket and sleeve members and slidably engaging the slotted portion of the former, the intermediary member having an eye adapted to receive the end of the wire and having a portion projecting through the said slot in the socket member and beyond the latter, the sleeve abutting against the said projecting portion of the intermediary member; the wire-receiving portion of the intermediary member and a portion of the socket member adjacent thereto being relatively so'shaped and disposed as to decrease the distance therebetween when the intermediary member is slidably moved with respect to the contact member in one direction, thereby clamping the said end of the wire therebetween; the threaded mounting of the sleeve member upon the socket member causing the former upon relative rotation of said members to move longitudinally with respect to the latter, the abutting of the intermediary member against the sleeve member causing the latter upon such longitudinal motion with respect to the socket member to move the intermediary member to efl'ect the said clamping of the wire. a

4. In a wire terminal, a slotted socket member having a tapering bore, the portions of the said member at opposite sides of the slot therein being adapted to be flexed outwardly; an eye member slidingly mounted in the said slot of the socket member, the eye of the eye member adapted to receive the end of a. wire; the said eye member adapted, when slid relative to the socket member, to draw the said wire toward the smaller end of the bore of the socket, the taper of the bore coacting with the said relative sliding motion to cause the wire to be clamped between the eye member and the socket member; and a clamping member rotatably mounted upon the socket member and engaging the eye member, the said clamping member adapted, when rotated, to slide the eye member to effect the said clamping of the wire; the taper of the bore coacting with the said eye member and the said wire to flex the said socket member portions outwardly when the eye member is slid to effect the said clamping of the wire.

5. A wire-fastening comprising a wire; a male member and a female member, the said ration being disposed between and contacting with the said male and female members, the said disposition thereof coacting with the said entry of the male member into the female member to clamp the said wire portions therebetween.

6. A Wire-fastening comprising a wire; a male member equipped with a perforation housing a portion of said wire; a female member adapted to be entered by the said male member, portions of the saidwire at opposite ends of the said perforation being disposed between and contacting with the said male and female members; and means threaded upon the female member for forcing the male member to enter the said fe,- male member, the said entry of the female member by the male member coacting With the aforesaid disposition of the said wire portions to effect a clamping of the latter between the said members,

7. A wire terminal comprising a main member having a perforation therein, a supplemental member, and an intermediary member therebetween, the latter having an eye for receiving the end of a wire and having a portion entering the said perforation; the said portion and the adjacent part of the perforated member being relatively tapered, thereby reducing the distance between the main and the intermediary members upon relative motion thereof in one direction; the supplemental member having a portion threaded upon the main member and an other portion abutting against the interintermediary member, the said threading and abutting coacting upon rotation of the supplemental member with respect to the main member to move the said intermediary member in the said direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

GEORGE O. KN AUFF; Witnesses I F. W. Tom), ALBERT SCEEEIBIE, 

